Index.



M. GORNINB.

v K INDEX. APPLICATION FILED JUNBZI. 1909.

979,437? I v Patented Dec.27,191.

wml ssfs.' l n mvg/vm@ fr. r. 1MAL/x wrm@ Arm/m( UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

MARSHALL CORNINE,

OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

INDEX.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 21,

Patented Dec.27, 1910. 190e. semina. 503,363.

My invention relates `to an index yfor; av

meter orA an analogous device andeonsistsy in the peculiar arrangement o f. the=pa 1rts' which permits it tobe qu'icklyf-returnedjto zero, andyet .practicalli insuresv tha sthose ofthe meter directly to/,the fast moving.

parts will always be le t'inoperati'v position, also in connecting `the workn'gqarts and* -o'r pointer of the index and in the arrangeif ment of parts which permits such connection: To meet modern conditionsmeters must be frequently tested, often at their places of installation and sometimes at the 'factory'y or' 1 place of installation, the time of an inspector 1s occupied, consequently there has, for soma l tiine, beena demand for an Inderwhichhy `would permitof that. being done rapidly. 'When they are tested at the factory or-ref` air shop, it is usually-.required thatithey' eturncd to zero before being again pnt; into use, and here again Speed is necessary, for in lndustrial matters,'it xsdally more evi dent that thetime of employees is money'g and dividends will be'less or abscntfif the greatest economy is not exercised inthe use of that time. lt would take ymuch time' to return to zero an index which had reache'd arccord of thousands, if it'were .turned'back by merely reversing the movement b v which it has reached its higlrregistry, turning forthat pur se, th'e'gearA c onnei'fied, or to bev connecte ,to the meter crank); Consequently,

it has been the custom to' pry tlx'effrarne' apart, disengage the severalv wheels of the train and runthenrback se|n1rately,fbut thisk isl objectionable.. First, .it takes' some time to replace the separate parts. Second, it of- 'l ten strains Athose parts, so that thereafter they do not operate with precision. l Third, it often results that they are not properly reassembled and so'mc of the train are not engaged at all, so' that though the indicators on the dials of lower denominations operate,

there is no movement of those-parts on thedials of higher denominations and conse-v' quently, in gas meters, no record of all the gas vused.`

Many persons have essayed to arrange for cconomizing time. in resettingr an index or in inspecting a meterin place, but none of 'their devices of which .I have knowledge', have been without objections. In my device I'have arranged to permit a rapid but accurate inspection- 4in place-hy connecting the .meter crank directly to the fast moving indicator ofthe index, .thereby avoiding a system `of gearing in which thctrain is first geared down to accommodate a lowerindi Gator and .then Uearednp from it's'shaft to the shaft o f the inst-moving indicator, a system which vnot.onlypresents the objection of fing, but'also the objection that gearing down afro'm highftolo'wis more likely to result in ,binding, ifelose, lthan from low to high. If not so close; then, lost motion is a common ing has not, l'xcretofoie, been done from the Afast; inovinghandn @Inwarranging to' gear direct from the me- 'crank to thegfastnloving hand, I have nadesom'e changes inthe. mechanism, transmittino ymotion from the crank to the indicator-siaft, since it wouldnot'bc practicable L to gear direct, with the o ars nowv in general use.'- 'lhey wonldbe 'lili )le to lockor clog and interfere with they proper working' of fthedevic. l i' As is Well knoWIn-lafrmeter index is operated by Athe vturning :ofa shaft of what is oallled the meter crank, an arm so connected with the levers of the'- bellows of the meter, as tomake Aa yrotationwith the passage of a given. quantity-of gassay 192. incheslthrough the meter. It has been customary to lace a gear on this`\shaft and, in mesh witit, to mount a toothed gear on a shaft which,l in turn, is keyed to tl1e`spindle or arbor' of 4one of the intermediate indicators ofthe index and by a series or train-of gears to communicate the movement of that lnterslower indicators ofthe series. The gear in com1non..u se., has such. a pitchthat'one revolution of the shaftfof th-meter. crank will turn an 18 toothed wheel, on the indicator shaft, the space of one tooth. That shaft may carry a 48 toothed Wheel,- meshing `on a 12 toothed Wheel on the shaft of the fast moving hand. Consequently to gear direct from the gear on theshaft of the meter crank tothe rapid moving indicator andvget .requiringemore time than it-fsliould for testresult, and lost ymotioninterferes so mate- -riall'yy with the accuracyof the test, that vtestt ymediate shaft,f to the faster and also to the same meter, wi-th'f-t connected to the' indicators of tlie'vdia'laofy the same speed it now has, would require ay toothed wheel of at least 72 teeth on the .shaftfftheffast movingindicator, which is not practicable. I therefore provide.' the' shaft of themetegr. and the shaftof the vindicator With'ivhat are sometimes called spiral gear wheels of such -lpitch that with-eight teeth offs. vgiven -pitci on 'that'p'artjofthe' 4gealj-onathe shaft of the meter crank, and sixteenfrof a different pitch..` onwtlie gear mounted .onA the shahft'fattached ftojithe fast moving hand,-I' can cause the movements of the' said hand to'corre'etljifiiiiflicute.-the.Av uantity .of gas which has jpi'i sse(l"^"thf'r ou'ghA illie meter,` thus@.chyiatingzthe ditiicltiesv One fj rm hilye devised-is'4 ,shown th'e 'd'rewings" thii'gh""I :Ldo -fnoth 'limit myself to afinar; v vfhich'-vi's,fin'all` ,dctailsjaidplicateni-tbe one-` shown. Mi "`If`igure1,f 1s1.irrfac'e yi'gailof 4such an index, separated froml the ltr`;2=fwith the. .'gyearf mlocke'd; ,-Fi S23-L frontf.view-of'the.'

I, .hands and; the" dial plate removed', randtheage'ars locked; -lfligiv 3, is a 'view of thesa'm'e parts shown in 115g;l 2, but inj the .positions vwhich' they occupy when thev gears "operating the..indicators ofy the dials-oflow"dei1ommatons are4 disegaged from-'. thextriirof.wleels nioreiclosely.-

. higheljgdenminations. v 'Figi' 4,; issfa rear.

View of tlfiehrhetexY from,which the'rearlplate 0f the frame`-hasjbeen removed, but1v'hi`chiVA is otherwiselin' operativefposition. Iief'fiis,V

' a rear view of. aportion 'of the indexfshowing the ,parte Ain the vposition theyf oo'cupl when the respectiveztrains .are disengage Fig. 6, isla'n upperplan view ofthe indegr. 4Q

showi ng theconnection between the shaft .of

' the fastmoving 4hand andthe shaft on the meter crank.. Fig. 7, isa-.detail (view of the particulariorm. of gearing I useforwmakmg the connection indicated ,inY `Fig. 6.

8, is the ordinary meter index` face, show-I 4ing dials' 9-13`for indicating, respectively,

. a fraction of a foot, .two feet, a vthousand feet,' t'enfthousanrl feet and one .hundred 4 thousand'l'eet." Thesel` dialsf-are' provided with hands, vpointers o'r lvindicators [19T-23,

locate'hetvyeen shaft.39 an'd shaft-*40), and

in the train, intermediate the pinion 55 on 41. 'I prefer not to mount the shaft 16 of and 39 (directlyconnected) which-extends' consumptiono a fraction ofa'ioot of gas) capacity l a'nd .noting the movement of hand.

than 1) minutes, Aand thecharge for inspec- $35 for theeshaftft of another gear 65e in the train from wheel 60.v There is also a.- gear.

this gear in the main frame, hilt 'in a` snpanother `spiraliy .toothed igear f 'fl1ee'lf794- on'y of thelrieterI crank' is `.through holes 29 arid-'carries hand 19 of dial 9, Wherepy the fast movinghand` 19 "of dial 9'I Vwill be operated in lunison ivith` the meter. f I* `As-it isyfconnectedjdrectly.torthe shaft 69 fand.:` turns. Vquite rapidly,4 (indicating the spective pinions. end wheels'haying Al ee11fcut` shaft 45 Vand thetoothed wheel 6l ou shaft `fapertured to. receive the endslof 'arbor 45 to pivotitj,'and also at 36 to receive' the`cnds *I of arbor orshaft A46 of tlclvhccly 661.' and. 4 pinion 56'; "lheiraliey way .llfis cut in' the". i'extension 58, 'aiid'-fruin' the frameY 38"'the're 1 is an'- extension 78, provided with a key iyay 2G, (whichfnorin-ally registers'witli key Way` 16), and '.a'jwlolrl, which normally takesf'` 'gu'nder the `p``st'f1fl', which 'connects the'fron't 47, mounted sof" ate'st' of themeter .vmayz-bequickly and :ic-1'` l curatelyin'ade by llglitng a burner of' given 19 for a space of .butafew-(sometimes lessA tors timefforthatlinspection is very small. .lf the shaft'wereconnected to some other. 'i handthen the time/occupied would be much` longer, sincein.that.,eent, itWouldnotA .snicegtonote-the movement of -hand 19, for 5115i r4only one revolutionas 'lostgmotion',andgtleyf ."5

liability :of thath'andpto ;...yvl 1e`nv rglearedilldcctlx. 10'.. the POW@ l ha tf-- would Apre- Nentfjcertainty'qfiwcuracyunlesspperatd. Y

f ,For a, 4

with the propel` number ofteeth, the Shafts 44, 40, 45, 4G, 41, 42, 43, will be turned with suitable relative speed to cause the respective hands 20, 21, 22, 23, to indicate the quamA tity of gas consumed, up to the capacity of the index. f '1,

After. having indicated a consumption-Of say 89,124 feet of gas, if the meter'shoul e returned to the factory for repairs or'for di ficial inspection, it is desirable, before phicnI lng it again in use, to return all of the hands to zero. But in mydevice this is easily accomplished. A key is inserted through key hole 16 and sealedupon the ke post 47 which permits it to-enter s o far tliatits bit will clear the inner side o f extension 18, but 'not the wall of the hole 26 in extension 7S.

Then by turning the' key, its l it;actii ig against the edge of extension 78 will force that t'o the le'ft, as seen 'in Figs. 1 and 3 (left asseen in Fig. 5) disengage hook 15. from quently it is necessary to reversethe key movement. This will bring itsbit. against the oppositewall of the hole 26 in extension 78, and swing that and the frame 38, 48,' downward and backward till'hook 15 takes under post 17 and pinion 56 again engages I' the teeth-ot' wheel 6l, whenthe parts of the index will be in normal osition and it will be ready to accurately indicatethe movement of the meter. There is sufficient lay between the positions of the pinion an the wlcl when their .respective teeth are en,-

l gaged to the bottoms of the indentations and .those when they areV enmrged suiiicle'ntly to 'work' sn1oothjy,"witl1out Ibinding,1to permitj engage it so' vthat it ci'i'nnot be disengaged without force, and this play renders an independent spring unnecessary.

It will be noted that any inadvertent leaving of the pinion and wheel disengaged is practically precluded for the reason that the presence ofthe key would at once call atten- :tion to the fact that the-index is not in condition forV use and when the key is removed, that removal insures the bringing of the parts back to normal position.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,.is 1. In an index, the combination with a frame, of a .train of gears carrying indicators, sonicof high speed and others of low speed, a gear interposed between parts of the train of different speeds, meansfor disengaging saidA intermediate gearl from another of theA complete train, and means for again enga-ging it with' other gear of .the train, sald means being adapted to be operated by a key, an aperture 1n the-,device- `permitting the insertion of a key to operate said means, but f rovided with a stop adapted to restrain when turned from its sition a's inserted,

allsubstanti'all asset orth. i

'2. In an in ex, the combination with a offs" train of gears carrying indicae withdrawal 'of the-key,

tors, somepofhigh speed and others of low speed of a r interposed between thehigh speedand t e low speed parts of the train, a

i swinging frane supporting said intermediate gear, an aperture in the ,mampart adapted to permit the insertion of a key, an extension on the swinging frame, which registers with the aperture in the man1 frame, adapted to be enf'aged by the key,-and walls to the keyhole, adlapted to restrain the withdrawal of the key, when turned fromits position as inserted, all substantially as set forth.' Signed at e'w York in the county of New' YorkA and Stateof New York. this 17 day ofJ une A. D. 1909.

, MARSHALL CORNINE,

y Witnesses?. fthe hook to he forced under posty 17, and 'their JAMisA. Denman,4 I A.' G. N. VERMILYA. 

